Unsettled
by HeathenVampires
Summary: Finding himself with a new world view and apparently a new home island, Eret isn't sure if he's welcome or wanting to settle. Pre- Hicretstrid. Polyshipprompts Polyship Week 2018


**Day two! And the theme of today is...**

 **Angst!**

 **And the ship of the day is Hiccup/Astrid/Eret. And for a change, it's canonverse Hicretstrid.**

 **Set just after HTTYD2.**

-HTTYD-

"Hey buddy."

Oh gods, he sounded like Hiccup. Couldn't help but call Skullcrusher 'bud' or 'buddy' all the time. Skullcrusher warbled quietly, nuzzling into Eret's side and nipping playfully up at the fish in Eret's hand. He'd caught them himself, not taking from any stockpile in the village.

Eret already knew he was unwelcome. Wouldn't push it.

"Wanna light the fire so I can cook mine?"

The Rumblehorn obliged, lighting the little campfire Eret had set up. They were camping out in the Training Arena, because it was almost entirely undamaged and more importantly _empty,_ save for them and some dragons. The dragons paid the two little mind, coming and going with their own food catches.

Eret sighed, leant against his dragons side and waited for his fish to finish browning enough that it wouldn't make him nauseous to eat. Skullcrusher grumbled, sniffing hopefully for more.

"Hey, if you want more fish you can go get it. Everyone likes you. You're Stoick's dragon! I'm that trapper nobody really trusts who tricked Hiccup into handing you over."

"Is that what you really think?"

It had only been a few days, but Eret's senses had lapsed a little now he wasn't looking for dragons to sell. Plus, Night Furies were the stealthiest species ever. Hiccup, not wearing his chiefs cloak and looking five years younger for it, slid from his dragons back and climbed a Nadder spikes ladder down to him.

"It's true. To most of them, at least."

"Not to me. Or to Astrid. Or the twins. Gobber. Fishlegs. Snotlout. Even my mom knows that's not you."

Eret snorted.

"Your mom can't even look at me."

Hiccup frowned. Eret realised he ought not to be annoying the man who gave him asylum, offered him a safe place to rebuild himself after his world view was torn to shreds, leaving a raw, confused and utterly new man in its place.

"That's... you're wearing his clothes. Riding his dragon."

The tunic he had on suddenly felt twice as heavy. While many residents of Berk had Eret's breadth, very few had his height, even fewer had both - Hiccup was almost as tall, but he was much thinner. When Eret needed new clothes, there was only one real candidate with clothes they no longer needed. The trousers needed the waist size a little adjusting and the tunics reached his knees almost, but they were a fairly decent fit.

"It's only til mine are dry and stitched."

"Hey" Hiccup touched his shoulder, and the brief warmth was alien to Eret after only feeling dragon scales on his skin since coming to Berk "I told you you could have them. It's just tough on mom."

"You lost your dad."

Hiccup's hand fell away. Eret missed it.

"Yeah. But I had twenty years with him and he died protecting me, which is how he would have wanted it. Mom only just got to realise that people _can_ change, that dad had finally seen what she said about dragons all along, and then he was gone."

Toothless had slid down to curl up close to the little fire, lightly rumbling snores filling an otherwise tense silence as Hiccups words sank in.

"My dad died when I was thirteen. He was a trapper too. Not for Drago, for the auctions. Mom was lost without him, so me and my cousins got a ship and set off. No real idea what we were doing, almost ourselves killed a dozen times in the first month."

Hiccup shuffled closer, leaning in for more story.

"So how'd you wind up working for Drago?"

"He paid better. And back then, a guy who paid us to help him build an army that would conquer all the dragons we thought were dangerous seemed great. Then he started getting violent, even killed a few guys in front of us to let us know what the penalty for failure could be. I wasn't kidding when I said him having me held down while he branded my chest was considered understanding."

Staring at his chest, Hiccup made a sort of half-gesture, which Eret took to mean he wanted to see the scar. Stoick's tunics were a little baggy on him, so Eret didn't have to pull down much or especially hard to display the aged burn. Smithy-toughened hands had a surprisingly gentle touch as they traced the ridges and bumps of his scars.

"Don't assume that how the others look at you now is how it'll be forever. I was the village embarrassment for fifteen years."

Having seen everyone show Hiccup nothing but respect, admiration, even idolatry, Eret could only stare, stunned.

"Come on. No way."

"I'm deadly serious. I was a short, scrawny - even more so than now - clumsy idiot who could barely pick up a sword to sharpen it. Astrid was taller than me until about two years ago. And I was always getting in to trouble. I built these wild contraptions to help me kill a dragon so I would finally belong. So I could impress Astrid. So my dad wouldn't be ashamed of me."

Hiccup told him the whole story, sat there in the dark surrounded by sleeping dragons, lit only by the embers of flames and the occasional beam of moonlight reflecting off an ice shard in the distance.

"Toothless ate your leg?"

"Well, he bit it to catch me when I fell. Just... overdid it. I survived. A leg isn't that big a sacrifice."

"So how big was the Red Death?"

"Smaller than the Bewilderbeast, but not by much."

"Huh. Wow."

They sat in near silence for several minutes, sat close enough that Eret could smell the leather and smoke scent of Hiccup's clothes.

"It would be easier on everyone if I left, wouldn't it?"

Hiccup turned to him, shaking his head slowly.

"Eret, we have just had some madman turn half our island to ice, the previous chief killed and so much to rebuild. Please don't think you are a problem. It's just... everyone's a little fragile right now and the new guy is dressing in the chiefs clothes and riding his dragon. I... I want you here. Astrid wants you here."

"Astrid wants you a lot of places... hey boys!"

Both men turned to see Astrid ambling down the slope in to the arena, giggling to herself as they both stood.

"Are you drunk?"

"Little bit. Ruff had some reallyyyyy strong stuff. Hey future husband" Astrid yanked Hiccup in and kissed him, then tossed a very uncomfortable Eret a wink "hey cutie."

Hiccup shook his head, placing a seemingly restraining arm around Astrid.

"Subtle milady, subtle."

"What? Don't tell me you don't think it too."

Astrid wriggled free of Hiccup, took a step closer to Eret and hauled him by his borrowed tunic down so she could plant a kiss on his cheek. Leaving him with burning cheeks, Astrid turned back to Hiccup.

"You, future husband, are coming back with me. You can come along if you like Eret."

Rubbing a hand over his exasperated face, Hiccup watched Astrid begin to drunkenly weave toward the exit again. About to follow her, Hiccup whistled to his dragon, then glanced back to Eret.

"Like I said... we want you here. Just... just think about it."

-HTTYD-

 **Trying to make sure these don't end up all the same as each other is tough. Ah well.**


End file.
